Mandala Books, 164 pages, paperback, $33.00

If you’re reading this, you’ve come to realize that December 21, 2012 is not the end of days various conspiracy theorists have been hyping up for years. Nor does it mark a global shift in consciousness spiritual leaders were hoping for. If you’re interested in discovering why this date is not the human population’s last day on Earth but are still looking forward to a global apocalyptic event, Daniel Briggs’ The Purification Papers may have some explanations. Poorly presented dogmatic and sexist explanations, but explanations nonetheless.

The Purification Papers is an attempt to join together various religious texts, astrological and scientific studies, and “codes” to prove that the prophetic end of days is upon us, and a new messianic age is about to begin. Originally, a series of events was supposed to unravel in such a way that a comet similar to Hale-Bopp was scheduled to collide with Earth on December 21, 2012. According to Briggs and his sources, this has been delayed due to a “divine intervention” of King Hussein of Jordan falling ill in 1996 when a meeting was scheduled with Benjamin Netanyahu. This meeting was apparently supposed to be the catalyst for World War III, but for one reason or another has been delayed.

Don’t fret though: according to Briggs, World War III and the subsequent end times are not far off. A prominent world figure strikingly similar to President Obama named “Mabus” is the living Antichrist and will soon wipe out Christianity by raiding the Vatican and using Hitler-like techniques to create a culture of hatred towards Christians. Shortly thereafter, a comet will come and strike down most of the world’s population, sparing a few special souls mostly inhabiting the Americas. Following the devastation of this comet, a new Messianic Golden Age will occur and the world will continue to go on.

As if it weren’t already hard enough to take a poor writer with such delusions seriously, the book is typeset in comic sans. Meaning, this book about serious religious texts and prophecies is presented in a font designed to resemble the handwriting of a five-year-old. Design aside, this book reads like an elongated brochure of religious propaganda complete with references to OJ Simpson and Star Trek, backing up claims that “even the most successful [of women] will never be more than second-class citizens at best.”

For as long as religious texts have existed, they have been “interpreted” in order to reinforce various agendas. We see this today in homophobia, terrorism, classism, sexism, etc. Wars continue to be fought over religious differences across the globe. The Purification Papers is just another example of someone using “proof” from religious texts and studies to perpetuate personal dogma.